Libya Humanitarian Update April
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LIBYA Situation Report Last updated: 29 Apr 2020 Highlights: Civilians continue to bear the brunt of ongoing fighting. Between January and March 2020, at least 64 civilians have been killed and 67 others injured. One year on, Tripoli remains affected by conflict. Around 200,000 people have been displaced since conflict reignited in April 2019. Displacement continues to increase due to insecurity and hinders people's ability to return home - 374,000 remain displaced across Libya. As of 28 April 2020, there are 61 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Libya, including two COVID-related deaths. Explosive ordinance disposal teams working in Tawergha (Rabie Jawashi/3F) KEY FIGURES FUNDING (2020) CONTACTS $114.9M $13M Kasper Engborg 0.9M 0.3M Deputy Head of Office Required Received People in need People targeted [email protected] 11% Jennifer Bose Ratka 374k 654k Public Information Officer Progress People displaced Migrants and [email protected] in Libya refugees in Libya 138k FTS: https://fts.unocha.org/appeals/931/summary People reached Situation update Despite calls for a truce, conflict continues throughout Libya, impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Between 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2020, the UN Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) has documented at least 131 civilian casualties (64 deaths and 67 injuries). This figure represents an overall increase in civilian casualties of 45 per cent compared to the previous three months. Heavy shelling and fighting has caused further displacement, destroyed people’s homes and damaged critical civilian infrastructure. In the last month, this includes new displacements from Abusliem and surrounding areas, as well as from neighbourhoods surrounding Tarhuna. See our displacement article later in this report. Page 1 of 8 LIBYA Situation Report Last updated: 29 Apr 2020 As of 21 April 2020, there has been 11 conflict-related incidents recorded this year on field hospitals, health care workers, ambulances and medical supplies, killing five people, injuring 17 others and affecting five health facilities. On 6 April 2020, as a result of heavy shelling in Tripoli, the Al Khadra General Hospital was hit, injuring at least one health worker and damaging the fully functioning 400-bed medical facility. The hospital was one of the potential COVID-19 assigned health facilities. Heavy clashes also saw closures of four hospitals in Sabratha and Surman that were providing an average of 18,000 medical consultations per week. There have also been two attacks on the Man-Made River Project this year, that provides around 60 per cent of the country’s fresh water. On 6 April, a water value near Shwerif was shut down by an armed group. As a result, more than 2 million people, including 600,000 children, in the Greater Tripoli area (Tripoli, Tahouna, Bani Walid and Gharyan) were without water for more than a week. These water cuts coincided with power outages that affected many parts of western Libya. Water systems in Libya have already been badly damaged as a result of the ongoing conflict. These attacks impact on the country’s ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In Tripoli, internally displaced families, refugees and migrants who remain close to the front lines, along with host communities providing them with shelter, remain at significant risk. In conflict-affected areas, people face increasing challenges in gaining access to basic essential goods and public services and being able to make a living. The situation for many people caught in conflict areas, as well as across the country, has been exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 on people’s livelihoods and their ability to meet their basic needs and access to health and other assistance. This is covered in more detail our COVID- 19 article below. While the situation has become more complex with escalating conflict and COVID-19 prevention measures, the humanitarian community is committed to staying and delivering humanitarian assistance to address the most severe needs. UN agencies, international and national NGOs continue to work on the front lines, in difficult operating conditions, having reached more than 138,000 people in 2020 with some form of humanitarian assistance. This includes provision of unconditional food assistance, including to 2,300 newly displaced people reached through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM). Health care services were also provided through deploying mobile medical teams, health kits as well as providing training for medical staff. The Education Sector through its partners reached more than 18,000 school-aged children with school feeding. Children were also reached by other services including psychological and recreational activities. Tripoli: One year on The fourth of April 2020 marked one year since forces of Libyan National Army (LNA) launched their offensive to seize Tripoli, Libya’s capital. The one-year long war has taken a heavy toll on hundreds of thousands of people who have either been displaced or continue to live on the front lines of an ongoing war. The conflict has also had a significant impact on people’s livelihoods and their access to essential goods and services, as well as damaging or destroying homes, hospitals and schools. While the conflict quickly became protracted and focused mostly in southern parts of Tripoli, from the end of 2019, fighting has increasingly moved into more populated areas, causing further civilian casualties and displacement. Between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, UNSMIL documented at least 685 civilian casualties (356 deaths and 329 injured). Nearly 345,000 civilians remain in front line areas with an additional 749,000 people estimated to live in areas affected by the clashes. Much of the conflict is characterized by its indiscriminate nature, with regular violations of international humanitarian and international human rights laws, including attacks on critical public infrastructure and services. There have been 64 conflict- related incidents recorded on field hospitals, health care workers, ambulances and medical supplies, since April 2019, killing 80 people, injuring 66 others and affecting 24 health facilities. Page 2 of 8 LIBYA Situation Report Last updated: 29 Apr 2020 Additionally, 16 schools have been attacked that affected more than 15,000 students. Prior to the total closure of schools (impacting 1.3 million students) due to COVID-19, many schools had been closed for months due to proximity to fighting. There have also been seven attacks on water infrastructure (all part of the Man-Made River infrastructure). These attacks, together with electricity cuts, regularly affected water supply to 3 to 4 million people. More than 200,000 people have been displaced since conflict reignited in Libya in April 2019, with Tripoli accounting for around 150,000 of recorded displacement. In late March and early April 2020, around 3,700 people have been forced to flee their homes in Abusliem Municipality, and the neighbourhoods of Salah Eddin and Al Hadba, as well as another 3,100 people near Tarhuna who fled their homes in mid-April within 48 hours due to escalated fighting. For many people, the conflict has destroyed or damaged their homes and many have fled due to the proximity of fighting, impacting living conditions. Coupled with increased demand due to IDP arrivals this has led to shortages in adequate shelter options and associated increases in rental costs. Vulnerable families face difficulties in securing affordable housing, along with those who have lost important legal documents, being at risk of eviction. Migrants and refugees continue to attempt crossing to Europe, many of whom are returned to the country, mainly to detention centres in and around Tripoli. In 2020, there are more than 654,000 migrants and refugees in Libya. They continue to be at risk of unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention and unlawful deprivation of liberty, rape and other forms of gender-based violence, slavery and forced labour, extortion and exploitation. On 2 July 2019, an airstrike hit the Tajoura Detention Center outside Tripoli, killing at least 53 people and injuring another 130 people. UN agencies, along with international and national NGOs have continued to provide humanitarian assistance to those displaced and affected by the conflict. From April 2019 until the end of March 2020, the humanitarian community has reached more than 220,000 people with assistance. This includes more than 50,000 people through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) in 32 municipalities across 14 mantikas. The mechanism was activated in response to rapidly emerging needs of people displaced following the Tripoli offensive. On 11 April 2019, four UN agencies (IOM, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP) launched the RRM, jointly delivering a minimum integrated package of assistance to persons displaced due to the armed conflict, in hard-to-reach areas, caught at checkpoints or stranded between front lines. Ongoing conflict has damaged or destroyed people's homes, causing further displacement (OCHA/Giles Clarke) Page 3 of 8 LIBYA Situation Report Last updated: 29 Apr 2020 COVID-19 impacts on people across Libya As of 28 April 2020, the Libyan National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reports 61 confirmed cases, including two COVID- related deaths, in Libya. Testing remains low, only 1,800 tests to date. The majority of new confirmed cases are people who have come into contact with confirmed cases, confirming local transmission. Strong prevention measures (border closures, restricted movement, closures of schools, restaurants, etc.) remain in place. As a result, many people’s lives and livelihoods are being affected, with low-income families and other vulnerable groups particularly impacted. Many Libyans, migrants and refugees remain anxious about COVID-19 and what they should do to protect themselves. The Inter-Agency Common Feedback Mechanism’s call centre has received nearly 11,500 calls since the beginning of the pandemic. The majority of calls are from people seeking information on the disease, how they can protect themselves, or information on where to go for medical assistance.